Johann Strauss

13 Posts
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Johannes Brahms and Johann Strauss II: Behind Their Unlikely Friendship
Classical musicians often put music into boxes. Sonatas and symphonies are considered Serious with a capital S, whereas waltzes and dance music are often dismissed as mere light trifles. So it may come as a surprise to find out that
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How Maria Anna Strauss Became the Mother of the Viennese Waltz
What would you say if I told you that the entire musical history of Vienna would be extremely different, if not for the little-known, strong-willed daughter of an Austrian pub owner? Today we’re looking at the life and times of
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Dance Music of the 1840s
Johann Strauss I, Joseph Lanner and Hans Christian Lumbye
The early to mid-19th century was more than just a time of waltzes, it was also the polka and the galop that held the floor. The most important dancemen came from Vienna: Johann Strauss I and Joseph Lanner. A group
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On This Day
25 September: Johann Strauss (Father) Died
Johann Strauss (Father) was the darling of the Viennese dance craze and simply known as “The Tyrant of Waltz.” As the leader of a hugely popular dance orchestra, he sent the pleasure-seeking and cheery population of imperial Vienna into throbbing
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Happy New Year
Johann Strauss Jr.’s Die Fledermaus “Overture”: “The Bat” in Arrangement
Ever since I was a little girl, my parents made me watch the New Year’s concert of the Vienna Philharmonic. Apparently, as they kept telling me, “it is good for you.” They needn’t have worried, because I loved to watch
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On This Day
25 October: Johann Strauss Jr. Was Born
Johann Strauss Senior was a very wealthy man indeed. Operating under the assumption that “there is a sucker born every minute,” he filled the dance halls of Europe and performed in front of royalty, even playing for Queen Victoria’s coronation.
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Dancing in the Woods: Strauss II’s Tales of the Vienna Woods
Situated just north-west of Vienna, the Wienerwald, the eastern foothills of the Alps were an enticing area for Vienna’s composers – we have many images of composers such as Beethoven and Schubert walking through the Vienna Woods and we have
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Show Me the Money
Johann Strauss Jr.
The American showman and businessman P.T. Barnum famously quipped, “Every crowd has a silver lining.” As the founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, an entertainment institution that ran for almost 150 years, he certainly knew how to draw in
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